Courage vs. Cowardice

Question:
a) How do our main characters stack up against the traditional norms?
b) What is your definition of courage and heroism?
c) What other experiences or literary works have worked to build this definition for you?
d)  How do O’Brien and Crane achieve their goals?
e) What literary spin are they putting on the ball of words to get us to swing? 
*** Be sure use quotes from the text and commentary to support your ideas.
Answer:
a) The characters in The Red Badge of Courage stand against traditional heroic norms in the things they do. An example can be found on almost every page of the three chapters we were to read. One of the biggest examples of unheroic character is found when the narrator says, “There was a singular absence of heroic poses. THe men bending and surging in their haste and rage were in every impossible attitude” (34). The narrator is referring to the fact that heroes are usually seen standing in intimidating poses. Next, the narrator talks about only the main character as he says, “And ther ehe remained, clinging desperately and crying for assistance that he might withdraw his hold upon the tree” (35). In this quote, the main character is described as being frightened, a great contrast to the common definition of a hero. The reader finds out more about this character when the narrator says, “He went into an ecstasy of self-satisfaction” (37). A hero is humble and does not get caught up in “self-satisfaction” like this character. Another un-heroic thing that the character does is when “he went far, seeking dark and intricate places” (44). Instead of facing his fears, he ran away from them and tried to hide.

b) Courage is a characteristic in which a person shows bravery and isn’t afriad to try new things or go into a tense or dangerous situation. A hero is someone that has courage and bravery. A hero is humble and looks out for the good of others, thinking lastly of himself.

c) This defintion was built by things I have seen in the past. The first one that comes to mind is the story of Hercules. The second is Beowulf. Both of these men showed great courage and heroism and didn’t give up without a fight. Neither of them were selfish and thought of others and not themselves.

d) O’Brien and Crane achieve their goals of changing the traditional forms of the hero by making everyone in the story, not only the main character, seem cowardly. One example of this is when the narrator says, “Many of the men were constantly dodging and ducking their heads” (29). This example shows a side of men that is not heroic. Men that are heroic wouldn’t duck their heads but would face anything and try to overcome it. Another example is when the narrator says, “The men groaned. The luster faded from their eyes. Their smudged countenances now expressed a profound dejection. They moved their stiffened bodies slowly, and watched in sullen mood the frantic approach of the enemy” (38). This is a great example of imagery. The image that Crane uses is one of men who groan, have stiff, slow moving bodies and who don’t run at the enemy, but watch it approach instead.

e) The literary spin the authors are putting on the words is the fact that they are using naturalism and realism. Hercules is a tale; a story that most likely didn’t happen. It has to do with Hades and monsters, etc. Of course, people find Hercules a hero but know it isn’t real. In Crane’s novel, the characters he uses represent real people and parts of society. One ironic aspect, that I believe adds a spin on the story, is the fact that the men described are not seen as heroic while what they are doing (in general) is very heroic. If a man fights for his country, that exhibits bravery. A man fighting for something like the idea of liberty, etc. is brave in his own sense. It is ironic that the men are described as not being heroic when they actually are heroes in a sense.